Her Protector

Your card should be arriving within the next 7-10 business days. Your pin number will arrive separately. Is there anything else I can do for you today, Mrs. Childs?” “No, thank you. You’ve been so helpful. Who knew opening a bank account could be such a pleasant experience!” Mrs. Childs laughed, heartily. I smiled and let out a little chuckle. “It was my pleasure! My business card is inside the folder with all of your documents. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Have a wonderful afternoon, Mrs. Childs, and we thank you for your business!” My last appointment for the morning and I could grab a quick bite. I’m so glad she never noticed the angry conversation my stomach was having with me. “Hey Nat! I need to run out for a quick bite. I’m starving! Cover for me?” Natalie and I had both started working at Hawthorne Savings and Loan as bank tellers six years ago. We both worked our way up to account managers and she has been my best work friend since the first day we met. “Of course! Can you bring me a mango and passion fruit smoothie back? I can send the money to you.” “No worries, girl. I got you!”, I said with a smile. “I’ll be back in twenty.” I headed for the heavy double doors and made a right out of the bank. The downtown area had lots of beautiful, high-end shops and fancy restaurants as well as some reasonably priced bistros and snack shops. Although I worked at a bank, I couldn’t afford to live close to work. It took years for me to save up for a decent car I could confidently drive into the bank parking lot. Living so far from work made getting up to eat a decent meal beforehand a dangerous gamble. It’s an hour drive from my little town to the downtown area. Besides, with all the money I saved on renting a place outside of the city, I could afford to treat myself here and there. I popped in to one of my favorite shops. It was a quiet little safari themed café. Faux foliage and vivid paintings of cheetahs, zebras, and the like adorned the walls. The air was fragrant with coffee beans, sweet and savory notes of delectable eats that made my mouth water. My stomach let out a slow, agonizing growl as I stood at the counter. Thankfully, no one else was in line. “Mornin’ Kelis! Having the usual over medium egg, smoked gouda, arugula, tomato, and aioli breakfast panini?”, the cashier greeted me. I come here so often; I get the royal treatment from the regular employees. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. “Good morning, Carissa! You know how to make me smile! Could you put a little avocado on the side, please? I’ll also have a small black tea and a large mango and passion fruit smoothie.” “Somebody’s hungry today!”, Carissa said with a cheeky grin. “Oh, the smoothie is for Natalie. Could I have it on the way out? I don’t want it to melt.” “No problem! I’ll have your order out shortly.”, Carissa answered. I paid and found a small table with two chairs near the window, in the corner of the room. My back was to the wall, and I could see the whole shop. I sat there, slowly getting lost in thought. I felt accomplished, in a way, being on my own at twenty-four after all that happened six years ago. I hadn’t really let myself grieve over everything I had lost. My eyes began to well up with tears and I dashed them away as my order was being called. “Kelis!”, Carissa called, sweetly. I hustled up to the counter and grabbed my tray. “Don’t forget the smoothie! I’ll have it here when you’re ready!”, she said as I quickly turned away. I answered back as steadily as I could, “Thanks, I will!” I didn’t have these moments often, but when they hit, it was a painful reminder of what I went through. I went back to my seat with my head down trying to give myself a little pep talk. ‘It’s gonna be alright. You’re fine. Just breathe and relax. BREATHE AND RELAX!’ I was yelling to myself. I hated breaking down in public. I pulled myself together and took a sip of my tea. It warmed my soul, and I deeply inhaled the steam from my cup. I closed my eyes and heard the door to the shop open. I sat still, meditating over my tea casually listening to the voices at the front counter. It was a man that greeted Carissa. He sounded…manly. I opened my eyes to take a peek. From behind, he looked solid. Beautiful chocolate skin, shoulder length locs, and a fitted polo with equally fitted jeans. My body purred a little. I blushed and laughed to myself, thinking it was too early in the day for these thoughts that suddenly came to mind. I started on my sandwich. I knew I had been at the café for a while already, so I needed to hurry up. The man that walked in took a seat near the counter where I could see his profile. He sat with his brows furrowed, scrolling intently through his phone. I saw him flash a smile revealing the cutest dimple and perfectly straight teeth. I must have been staring pretty hard because he looked up and our eyes met. I tried to look like I hadn’t been drooling over him and just gave a little smile and continued eating. He smiled back. “Good morning.” he said. I swallowed the bite in my mouth. “Good morning. Sorry for staring. You’re in my line of sight.” I explained, trying to make it seem like I wasn’t intentionally staring at him. “I don’t mind”, he said, still smiling. We were silent for what felt like a full minute. I let out a nervous laugh and continued eating. I felt his gaze on me before he returned to his phone. I quickly finished so I could leave. I didn’t want to stay in this awkward situation. We were the only two customers in the café. I was almost at the door when Carissa yelled to me. “Don’t forget about the smoothie!” “Oh, right! Thank you for reminding me, girl!” I was trying to avoid getting close to this man but had to pass him twice to get the smoothie and leave. I could feel his eyes on me as I got to the counter. I thanked Carissa and was on my way out. “Have a beautiful day, Miss.” he said as I passed him. I turned around to see him smiling at me. I smiled brightly. “Thank you! You do the same.” I walked out, feeling a little flutter in my tummy. I usually didn’t pay most guys any attention when I was in work mode. That short exchange was enough to make me feel giddy and that was something I intentionally avoided. Whatever the case, I was on my way back to work and would probably never see that guy again.